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Wales

Been to someplace of historical interest? Planning a trip? Have a question? Post here!
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Madeleine
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Currently reading: "Mania" by L J Ross
Preferred HF: Plantagenets, Victorian, crime, dual time-frame
Location: Essex/London

Post by Madeleine » Sat June 5th, 2010, 2:25 pm

Friends have recommended the Italianate village of Portmeirion (where the original series of "The Prisoner" was filmed) as a place worth visiting if you're in that part of Wales.
Currently reading "Mania" by L J Ross

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Loveday
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Location: Virginia

Post by Loveday » Sat June 5th, 2010, 9:18 pm

[quote=""Ken""]This might help with pronouncing the double 'L'!! Thanks to Owen Mayo on FB!

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wal ... 1269434750[/quote]


Thank you for posting this link! Not just for the extremely helpful pronunciation hint (*wipes spit off monitor*), but for showing me that there's a Sharon Kay Penman fan page on Facebook! I'm fairly new to Facebook, so I had no idea. I'll be over there all evening now, going through the gorgeous photos! :D
"When I get a little money, I buy books; and if any is left...er... I buy more books." (Apologies to Erasmus ;) )

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Ken
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Location: Truro, Cornwall, UK

Post by Ken » Sun June 6th, 2010, 8:55 am

[quote=""Loveday""]Thank you for posting this link! Not just for the extremely helpful pronunciation hint (*wipes spit off monitor*), but for showing me that there's a Sharon Kay Penman fan page on Facebook! I'm fairly new to Facebook, so I had no idea. I'll be over there all evening now, going through the gorgeous photos! :D [/quote]

No probs Loveday. Just to let you know SKP has two FB pages. One for the Fan club and her own. In the fanclub page, just click on her name and it will take you there.

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robinbird79
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Post by robinbird79 » Mon June 7th, 2010, 8:59 pm

[quote=""EC2""]What you need to do is arrange to stay in the Welsh Marches somewhere rather than expensive tourist traps such as London or the Cotswolds. If you can stay in that middle bit, you can strike out and visit all over the place and in so doing, probably see more of the real country. Some parts of the UK are a lot less expensive than others. When I was researching for A Place Beyond Courage, the county of Wiltshire was a lot cheaper than the county of Hampshire, even though they're next door to each other![/quote]

That's not a bad idea; hadn't thought of this. I'll have to start looking around. There are things in London I want to see but I'm also interested in Wales (obviously) and Bosworth Field and York. I just need to be able to get to an airport easily and a train station. Lol. :)
Currently Reading: Crown in Candlelight, R. H. Jarmen

http://almostcrazymommy.blogspot.com

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Loveday
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Post by Loveday » Mon June 7th, 2010, 9:15 pm

[quote=""Ken""]No probs Loveday. Just to let you know SKP has two FB pages. One for the Fan club and her own. In the fanclub page, just click on her name and it will take you there.[/quote]

I saw that, Ken, but I wasn't sure if it was okay to 'add her as a friend.' I thought it might be more for people she actually knows in RL than for all of us admirers. Plus I'm very shy. :o

Of course, I've just had a closer look and she does have over a thousand 'friends' on there, so I guess it probably IS okay. LOL!
"When I get a little money, I buy books; and if any is left...er... I buy more books." (Apologies to Erasmus ;) )

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FlynnElk
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Post by FlynnElk » Wed June 16th, 2010, 6:22 pm

On the SKP being amazingly lovely front - I once mentioned to her (via email, after reading her blog) that I had trouble finding a copy of Falls the Shadow (the central book of her Welsh trilogy) and she posted me a copy. Yeah, she's right up there on my "people I need to drink tea with", but should probably not chase wielding teapots, list. Ahem.

Anyway, I live in Cardiff and have yet to wander up to North Wales - oops! But if you're down south, Caerphilly castle is stupidly beautiful. You will feel like a queen walking around there, guaranteed. There's a bridge over a moat and everything, what more could you want? Cardiff Castle is a crazy amalgamation of styles, as the guy who lived there (Marquis of Bute?) was big on redecorating. He also did Castell Coch, which is a fairytale castle up in the hills outside Cardiff. Quite small, but lovely. Turreted and cheery.

There we go, a quick guide to castles I've been to in South Wales.
"Women's tales and children's wisdom
do not please a bearded hero."

from The Kalevara

pressed posies

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Rowan
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Interest in HF: I love history, but it's boring in school. Historical fiction brings it alive for me.
Preferred HF: Iron-Age Britain, Roman Britain, Medieval Britain
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Post by Rowan » Wed June 16th, 2010, 6:27 pm

Thanks for your input Flynn. :) It's much appreciated. I shall add Caerphilly to my list of potentials. :)

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Margaret
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Post by Margaret » Thu June 17th, 2010, 4:46 am

I learned how to pronounce that double-L and tried it on a bus driver in northern Wales. We were trying to get to Llan-something-or-other. He totally did not understand me. I had to mispronounce it as Lan-something-or-other, and then he understood. The correct pronunciation is actually not too hard to learn, but devilishly hard to hear correctly if you're not used to it. You touch the tip of your tongue to your palate as if you were going to say a regular L, but you keep the sides of your tongue away from the sides of your mouth and blow air through them. Shakespeare wrote the Welsh double-L as an F, and the sound is not too far away from that.
Browse over 5000 historical novel listings (probably well over 5000 by now, but I haven't re-counted lately) and over 700 reviews at www.HistoricalNovels.info

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robinbird79
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Post by robinbird79 » Fri June 18th, 2010, 10:05 pm

I would really like to learn how to speak the language.
Currently Reading: Crown in Candlelight, R. H. Jarmen

http://almostcrazymommy.blogspot.com

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Ken
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Location: Truro, Cornwall, UK

Post by Ken » Sat June 19th, 2010, 5:48 am

[quote=""robinbird79""]I would really like to learn how to speak the language.[/quote]

Here's a good place to start! Good luck (or 'Pob Lwc!)!


http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/learnwelsh/

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